Snake in the House of the Lions: Year 1
by Hapalochlaena
Summary: What if Harry was a little more obviously damaged and suspicious than in the original books, and got separated from Hagrid when he first visited Gringotts and asked questions of the Goblins. What would he learn of his inheritance and of his place in the Wizarding World that would change the course of history. This will be a bad/manipulative!Dumbledore and some Weasley bashing.
1. Chapter 1

November 1, 1981- Privet Drive, Little Whinging

A crack sounded on the quiet street of Privet Drive. A tall figure, by the name of Albus Dumbledore, dressed in a robe more suited for the 16th century. He lifted his hand and clicked a lighter, but instead of a flame coming forth, the lights of the street were sucked into it. He walked down the street to an immaculately kept property, and greeted a cat sitting stiffly on the wall with twinkling eyes.

"Professor McGonagall, I was not expecting to see you here."

It was no longer a cat he was talking to, but a rather severe looking woman, "How did you recognize me, Headmaster?"

With a small grin he replied, "My dear, I do not think I have ever seen a cat sit more stiffly in all my life. Now, what have you discovered of Lily's family?"

"Headmaster, they are the worst sort of muggles. Their child is spoiled beyond belief and I watched him kick his mother up the street," McGonagall's eyes narrowed in distaste.

"Alas, they are all young Harry Potter has left in the world. Hagrid is bringing him here from Godric's Hollow." The twinkle in Dumbledore's eye dimmed at this admission.

McGonagall eyes flashed and she made to speak, but was interrupted by a flash of light and a roar from above. A huge figure atop an equally large motor bike was descending from the sky, and coming to rest in front of the Professors. The figure was carrying a small bundle sniffling and crying over to the professors.

"He's sleepin' Professors, he don't know his whole world has ended. Lily and James are-" He started sobbing uncontrollably.

"Now Hagrid, Harry is not alone. His mothers sister will take care of him just as her own child, away from the fame and expectations he won't understand until he is older." Dumbledore took Harry Potter into his arms, smiling down at him. He walked up the drive and to the front door, trailed by McGonagall and Hagrid. Dumbledore set him down on the stoop and tucked a letter into his blanket. He backed away with his companions, popping away with an angry McGonagall, while Hagrid roared off into the night. The peace would remain undisturbed until just after dawn when Petunia Dursley's scream would wake the neighborhood.

March 9, 1985

A small child sobbed quietly in the cupboard under the stairs. He had a bruising around his left eye, and blood running from his nose. He rocked his thin body on a thin inadequate mat, hugging himself for comfort. He had asked his Aunt Petunia for a hug like she gave his cousin Dudley, she had sneered in disgust and told him that freaks didn't get hugs like normal children. His Uncle Vernon had heard and thought to give him a lesson for his mistake.

"BOY! Get up!" His Aunt Petunia shrieked, rapping on his cupboard door. The little boy sucked up his tears and came out the door, and was yanked towards the kitchen.

September 2, 1986

"Harry Potter?" The young woman asked a class filled with young children, and a small child slowly rose his hand and whispered "here". She frowned at his size, so much smaller than the rest of his classmates. She shrugged, already calling the next name. Ms. Penny noticed Harry being pushed around by his much bigger cousin, but thought nothing of it. After all, boys will be boys. By the end of the day, Harry Potter would be sent back to his Aunt's house with a note mentioning Dudley being too free with pushing him around, and a recommendation for getting them to play nice. Harry watched his Uncle Vernon turn puce before he was yelled at for getting "dear Duddykins" in trouble on the first day of school.

Harry quivered with joy. He had gotten the highest grade on a test. Now his Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia would be proud of him and smile at him like they did at Dudley. Unfortunately, Harry's test far outshone Dudley's and Vernon screamed at him for cheating and denied him food for a week, locking in the cupboard except for chores during the holiday.

June 12, 1989

Harry was running from his cousin- again. He and his friends had thought it a great idea to start a new game called Harry Hunting. When Uncle Vernon caught them the first time he had laughed and given them tips to catching him. Luckily, Harry had realized that his relatives would never consider him family, so he had to rely on his speed to run from his overweight uncle and cousin, as well as exercise a cunning tongue to get out of trouble with them (he was still working on that). It still hurt to be called freak and to be told how much of a burden he was being. Harry was learning to not allow it to affect him. He knew this treatment wasn't normal. Dudley was loved, and the other children at school had mothers and fathers that hugged them and laughed with them (instead of at them). Yells snatched at Harry's attention, his breath was becoming ragged, but he just needed to hold out a little longer. His plans were thrown out, when he was hit from behind by one of Dudley's friends. He curled into a ball, and tried to ignore the pain blooming across his body. He was, after all, very used to it.


	2. An Unexpected Letter

Notes:

This is the second chapter of Snake in the House of the Lions, please leave reviews and corrections before leaving! Also, I would like to acquire a beta if anyone would like to volunteer or recommend someone.

"speech"

'thoughts'

~parseltongue~

An Unexpected Letter

Harry carefully turned the bacon over, he couldn't burn it for Dudley's birthday. Last time he did, Aunt Petunia had blindsided him with a pan. He almost preferred being hit though, it was the only time his family ever touched him willingly. It was the words that hurt the most. All his carefully crafted expressions and attempts to ignore the Dursley's disgust of him were shattered with their sneering words and ridicule of his efforts to be good enough. He pulled the bacon off the heat and divvied it up among the plates. He carefully carried Dudley's and Uncle Vernon's heavy plates over to the table, the fragrant scent tantalizing his empty stomach. None of his resentment of being denied the food that he had made showed on his face, he would pretend to be pleased at his one piece of unbuttered toast and small glass of water.

A series of thuds interrupted his thuds, and Harry started wolfing down his toast before Dudley could reach the kitchen. He had learned early on that Dudley would knock or take any food from his hands and accuse of him of taking from Dudley's plate. Dudley burst through the door and waddled over to his seat with a mean glance towards Harry. He had his Smelting stick, having not let it go since he had been accepted to Vernon's Alma Mater. Harry was carefully maintaining his distance so as to stay out of Dudley's range, when Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia came in to take their seats, giving Harry their customary glares. Harry took up his place, waiting to fill any drinks for them.

A flap of the mail slot sounded halfway through the Dursley's meal.

"Go get the mail boy!" grunted Vernon, not even looking up from his kippers. Harry slunk out of the room, glad for a reprieve. He picked up the letters and started sorting them. 'Bill, bill, letter from Marge, letter for Aunt Petunia, Harry Pott-' Harry stopped flipping through the letters and stared at _his _name on the envelope. 'Harry Potter, cupboard under the stairs, 4 Privet Drive..? What is this?'

"Boy! What is taking you? Checking for letter bombs?" Uncle Vernon called, and laughed at his joke.

"Coming, Uncle Vernon!" Harry hurriedly shoved his letter through the vent of his cupboard with his heart racing. He hurried to the kitchen and handed the mail to his aunt and uncle, and returned to his corner, waiting impatiently for them to finish so he could clean up and return to the cupboard and his letter. He was blindsided with his aunt declaring that they would have to take him with them to the zoo for Dudley's birthday. Feeling ecstatic, getting his first letter and going to the zoo, Harry decided to put off the mystery until later and enjoy his first trip to the zoo.

After the disaster at the zoo, Harry curled up in his cupboard and waited for the house to settle, nursing his bruises as best he could. He had accidentally let a snake loose (that could talk!) and locked Dudley in its tank. His amazement and amusement faded when Uncle Vernon had caught the smile on his face at Dudley's misfortune. Luckily, Uncle Vernon had been so angry that Aunt Petunia had just locked him in his cupboard with a cuff about his head, and the bruise on his back from Uncle Vernon slamming him against a wall. He was to have no supper for a week, and was not to leave the cupboard except for chores and bathroom breaks. Usually Harry would be frustrated (as this happened a lot, and he missed meals more often than not) and ill at the thought of how else he was to be punished, but he had a mysterious letter with his name and cupboard on it. He examined it more closely now that he had the time and privacy. It was written with a green ink, and was sealed with a wax crest. Harry looked at it dubiously, because it looked very official, and not at all something he would ever imagine being sent to _him_ of all people.

Harry went to open the strange letter, but hesitated. 'Could this be a joke from the Dursleys?.. no.. they wouldn't waste their time on something like this. Suppose I should open it to see what it is.' With some trepidation, Harry carefully peeled the seal open and pulled out the contents.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,

Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Mr. Potter,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

Harry stared at the letter incredulously. 'Wizardry, order _Merlin_! What is this?' He looked at the second page.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

UNIFORM

First-year students will require:

1\. Three sets of plain work robes (black)

2\. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear

3\. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)

4\. One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)

Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags.

COURSE BOOKS

All students should have a copy of each of the following:

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)

by Miranda Goshawk

A History of Magic

by Bathilda Bagshot

Magical Theory

by Adalbert Waffling

A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration

by Emeric Switch

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi

by Phyllida Spore

Magical Drafts and Potions

by Arsenius Jigger

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

by Newt Scamander

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection

by Quentin Trimble

OTHER EQUIPMENT

1 wand

1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

1 set glass or crystal phials

1 telescope

1 set brass scales

Students may also bring, if they desire, an owl OR a cat OR a toad.

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS

ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICK

Yours sincerely,

Lucinda Thomsonicle-Pocus

Chief Attendant of Witchcraft Provisions

Harry blankly gazed at the letter and all of the strange things it said. His first instinct was to dismiss it as an exceptionally well thought-out and cruel prank from his relatives. 'But, it makes sense, almost. I turned my teachers hair blue, ended up on the school roof running away from Dudley… the snake and the glass...' Harry began to see his relatives behavior with startling clarity. They always called him freak, and spoke about his "freakishness" and punished him whenever something strange happened. Harry was suddenly furious. 'How can they know and not tell me? Is that why they hate me so much? but _how _do they know?' Harry's thoughts were still for a moment. 'how do I find out?' He asked himself. 'How about a casual mention of owls? That isn't too ordinary, nor too obvious that I am asking about _magic_. It would also have to wait until his relatives were less angry at the recent _freakishness_ that had happened. He nodded to himself and tucked the letter away so it could not be found by anyone but himself.

The next morning, however, a massive amount of letters, seemingly identical to the one he had first received, were found by his uncle. Harry never did get to ask his question before they were leaving to avoid the letters.

The little hut on the bare rock was cold and inhospitable. Uncle Vernon seemed pleased, confident that the owls bearing the Hogwarts letters would never reach them there. Harry curled up on the floor, wrapped in a single ratty blanket. He was watching the time tick by on Dudley's wrist watch. 'I'm going to be eleven in less than ten minutes. We've been running from these letters, and Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia have no idea that I already read one… At least this birthday is exciting.' Harry finished his drawing of a cake in the dirt in front of him, and looked over at Dudley's watch again, just in time for it to start beeping at the new day and Harry's eleventh birthday. He blew out at his drawing, imagining that they were real candles and that he was surrounded by warmth and love, instead of the cold and desolation of the hut.

*THUD* *THUD* Harry jumped and looked at the door to the outside, shaking on its hinges.

*THUD* *THUD* And the door fell open, knocked out of the frame. A huge figure stood there, illuminated by the flashes of lightning. Harry's panicked mind appreciated the effect of it on his thrumming heart.

"Well, 'ello there. Sorry 'bout the door. I'm Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of the Keys at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry." The giant man smiled into the room with a gaping Dudley and Harry.

"YOU ARE TRESPASSING!" Uncle Vernon bellowed from the stairs with a shotgun in his hands. "LEAVE AT ONCE!"

"Dursley, ye great prune. I'm to deliver this letter to Harry from Hogwarts." Hagrid growled. He turned to the two boys and said to Dudley, "Well Harry, you're a lot bigger than I saw ye last."

Dudley looked horrified as Harry came up to him instead, "Actually, sir, I'm Harry."

Hagrid beamed and handed him his letter, "Yer a wizard, Harry. Ye look jus' like yer father, but with yer mum's eyes o' course. Ye'll be going to Hogwarts jus' like yer parents did."

"No, he's not going. We swore when we took him in that we would stamp that nonsense out of him." Uncle Vernon blustered.

'So they _do_ know!' Harry thought furiously, as his mouth caught up with his brain. "You knew!?"

Aunt Petunia sneered, "Of course we knew. My sister, perfect Lily was a _witch_. Mummy and Daddy were so proud, but I knew what she was: a freak!"

Harry was so stunned that he managed to miss Uncle Vernon's exchange with Hagrid, and only then at the shot that put a hole in the roof. His mind whirled with fury at his relatives, joy in learning something about his parents (they weren't drunks, they were heroes!), and hope at his escape from his relatives. Hagrid pulled him away, announcing that they would go get his school things. Harry eagerly followed.


End file.
